In her feature-directing debut, Patty Jenkins wrote and directed the 2003 American biographical crime drama moviemonster. The movie was based on the life of Aileen Wuornos, a woman who became America’s first female serial killer. The movie tells the tragic and disturbing true story of how Aileen was abandoned by her mother at birth and raped when she was only 7 years old. She descends into alcoholism and is briefly imprisoned for driving under the influence.
Finally, after a string of robberies to support her addiction, she turns to prostitution to make ends meet. She is not able to break the cycle of violence, however, and repeatedly kills men. Aileen is eventually captured and tries to defend her actions, but fails when she is sentenced to death. She dies in the electric chair. The monster tells the story of a woman who kills men because she feels she has no other choice. The movie perfectly captures the woman’s worldview at this time, as well as her blatant disregard for human life.
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How does the movieMonster end?
Patty Jenkins’ moviemonster was released in theaters. In the end, Aileen Wuornos sits in her cell before she is to be executed for serial murder. Before she does so, however, she announces to the audience that after killing all those men, “I’m not as bad as I am.” Jenkins’ story concludes with a statement from Aileen’s mother in which she states that her daughter loved her too much to hurt her.
The movie Monster ends with Aileen stating “I should have made it up,” before smiling and looking at the audience. The final scene of Monster can be interpreted as meaning that Aileen was not as bad as society made her out to be. Or, it can be interpreted as simply breaking the 4th wall and addressing the audience, stating that her mother knew her better than anyone else.
What makes Monster so effective in conveying its message?
The film Monster remains incredibly effective in conveying its message and purpose because of the way it is constructed. The story is told in a series of interviews and news broadcasts, which provide background to Aileen while also allowing the film to move forward in an interesting fashion. These also help humanize Aileen Wuornos on screen, instead of leaving her as just another killer who was executed for her crimes.
The movie also benefits from a great performance by Charlize Theron, who won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her work in Monster. She perfectly shows the spectrum of emotions Aileen must have felt, both remorseful and hateful at one time. Jenkins’ choice to use clips of news broadcasts as opposed to actual flashbacks also helps add to the realism of the film and makes it feel more like a biography than it would have otherwise.
Final Verdict:
The movie Monster is one that can be watched and enjoyed over and over again, as it provides a fascinating look into the life of women in the criminal world while also making a powerful statement about how society treats women.